Chelsea Transfers: Top 5 January Targets for Andre Villas-Boas

Chelsea Football Club have enjoyed a decent start to their new campaign, and manager Andre Villas-Boas has brought a new, expansive style of football to the Bridge.

The Blues added quite a few fresh faces to their roster over the summer. The new men donning the blue jersey have had their role to play in altering the style of play and producing the good results thus far, most notably, Juan Mata and Raul Meireles.

It's still early days in the Barclays Premier League, and the January transfer window is some distance from now, but that has hardly stopped the newspapers and tabloids from churning out stories linking the Pensioners to a host of big names across Europe.

And indeed, there is always room for improvement, so I'm sure Andre Villas-Boas is monitoring the situation of a few players he'd be interested to bring to West London in the new year.

Here are some of the players who have recently been linked with a move to Chelsea, and could possibly be January targets for the club.

Luka Modric

The media, it seems, just can't get enough of this particular transfer saga.

Apparently the Croat is now set to put pen to paper on a new contract that will see him earn at least double his present wages.

However, even now, plenty of big-name tabloids are linking the Blues with a January swoop for the midfield schemer, who went public on his desire to join them in the summer.

Now, I think this is one story that has been discussed at length on the Chelsea page.

I'd just like to add that while Modric may or may not be the final piece of the Chelsea jigsaw, it is important for the West Londoners to realize that they would be foolish to splash out anything in the region of £40 million for his services.

Gary Cahill

With Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs all believed to be chasing his signature, Chelsea would do well to pull off this one.

Their defense hasn't been their strongest point so far, and an outlay on a defensive reinforcement is expected in the next window.

Cahill is an established defender in the Premier League, and would make a worthy addition. His age of 25 means that he would have his peak years to offer to the club. Also, he'd classify as a homegrown player.

At £10 million, he'd be a bargain buy, but Bolton may try to hold out for a higher fee.

Sami Khedira

The German international moved to Real Madrid only a year ago, after having done his reputation no harm with an impressive showing for Die Mannschaft at the World Cup in South Africa.

While he had a solid first season in Spain, in which he established himself as a regular starter, speculation is rife that Madrid will cash in on him if they can get around £20 million for him.

It is believed that Khedira's relationship with Jose Mourinho turned bitter after his red card against Levante last month, with Jose giving him a large part of the blame for the loss.

Chelsea might view Khedira as a long-term replacement for Michael Essien, especially since the Bison may never be himself again. They share similar qualities, and at 24, Khedira could be just the right man to take over from where the Ghanaian left.

Stefan Jovetic

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

The Fiorentina man has a bright future. To establish himself as a truly world class player, though, he will eventually have to move to a bigger club in England or Spain.

He recently distanced himself from a move to Chelsea. However, we know that if Andre Villas-Boas earmarks him as a player he'd like to see at the club, then Roman Abramovich won't shy away from splashing the cash.

Signing the 21-year-old would make sense as he is skillful, likes to dribble, has excellent ball control and relishes playing in wide positions. It must be mentioned that Chelsea don't exactly have an abundance in wide talent.

I don't think he'd cost more than £20 million, unless his club is able to trigger a bidding war with other European giants.

Mario Götze

The young German is a growing name in the footballing world, having had a very good season with Borussia Dortmund in 2010-11. He won his first senior cap for Germany in November 2010.

He was recently linked with a move to Real Madrid. Los Blancos are admirers of the 19-year-old, as are English heavyweights Manchester United and Arsenal.

Chelsea really have a battle on their hands if they have any intention of signing this extremely versatile attacking midfielder. He has the pace and technical skill to succeed in England.

He'd be a great addition, I've no second thoughts about that. He'd inject some more creativity into the team's play.

Dortmund are likely to demand at least £25 million for one of German football's brightest prospects.

What Do You Think?

Many players have been linked with shifting base to Stamford Bridge in the past few weeks. The players in this slideshow were the ones who have repeatedly been rumored to be contemplating a move to Chelsea Football Club.

So, what do you think will happen when the transfer window opens in the new year?